OIE Workshop: Animal Production Food Safety

Transcription

1 OIE Workshop: Animal Production Food Safety Consumer expectations of food safety 13 October 2010 Mr Seah Seng Choon Executive Director Consumers Association of Singapore

2 Consumers Expectations of Food Safety in Singapore 1. Cold chain management 2. Handling of fresh produce 3. Expiry date 4. Labelling 5. Defective food products 6. Genuine Claims 7. Education

3 1. Cold chain management Consumers expect businesses to adhere to cold chain management - Fresh food items to be kept at appropriate temperature from point-of-production to pointof-sale

4 2. Handling of fresh produce Proper training for food handlers in food hygiene - Food handlers should be adept at handling fresh produce with proper hygiene Incident of food poisoning in Singapore: One more victim dies in Geylang food poisoning incident (Channel News Asia, 08 April 2009)

5 2. Handling of fresh produce Case Brief 146 people affected by food contamination at Rojak food stall 48 hospitalised Contamination was caused by a crosscontamination of rojak and raw seafood ingredients harbouring the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria

6 3. Expiry Date Consumers expect expired food products to be taken off shelves CASE Expired Food Survey illustrates

7 CASE Expired Food Survey Since 2004, CASE conducted 3 rounds of survey on sale of expired food in Singapore Surveys were conducted nationwide Shops surveyed included big supermarkets and small retail shops

8 CASE Expired Food Survey Results of the surveys: Timeframe May July 2004 Total retail outlets surveyed Total retail outlets found to sell expired foods April Percentage (%) Jan Mar

9 4. Labelling Consumers expect proper labelling of food products, in compliance with international or country-specific food labelling requirements Labelling information includes (among others): Ingredients present Any preservatives or additives Genuine labelling claims (eg: Products marked organic should be truly organic)

10 4. Labelling In addition, consumers expect relevant authorities to regulate labelling The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore regulates food labelling for all pre-packed food sold in Singapore Sale of Food Act, Food Regulations has general and specific requirements for food labelling

11 5. Defective food products Consumers expect: - An alert mechanism for food products found to be defective/ that may pose health hazard - The authorities and businesses to have in place a product recall mechanism for defective food products - Business operators to be responsible in taking necessary precaution - A full inquiry into any injury cases reported involving food products; non-recurrence of similar events

12 5. Defective food products Examples: 1. Antibiotics in eggs (2010) - The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authortiy (AVA) suspended a farm from selling eggs - Antibiotic residue was found in eggs produced by the farm 2. Salmonella contamination in eggs 3. Melamine in milk products from China 4. Bird flu 5. Swine flu

13 6. Genuine Claims Consumers expect retailers to make genuine claims about the food products being sold Example: Media Release (14 December 2007) CASE WARNS CONSUMERS ON RETAILERS SELLING THAWED MEAT AS CHILLED MEAT

14 6. Genuine Claims Background 31 pork retailers were fined $300 each for trying to pass off thawed frozen pork as chilled pork by the National Environment Agency (NEA) Some traders are tempted to pass off thawed frozen meat as chilled fresh meat due to vast price difference Consumers have difficulty judging visually whether the meat is formerly frozen or chilled

15 6. Genuine Claims Safety concern- Consumers may not know meat is thawed frozen meat and may refreeze the meat. Bacteria may have grown on the meat Meat retailers must physically segregate chilled meat from thawed frozen meat and clearly label them as such For thawed frozen meat, a label reading Thawed Frozen Meat; Do not refreeze; To be consumed within 3 days is to be displayed conspicuously in the chiller.

16 7. Education Consumers expect stakeholders to educate them on safe food handling tips Businesses should also play a part in educating consumers on food safety Example: Supermarket operators should educate consumers on proper food storage and handling tips

17 Thank you